NAVI MUMBAI: Navi Mumbai residents could see their daily water allowance reduced to 150 litres per person down from 200 litres, despite the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s (NMMC) general body rejecting formal water cuts on Friday. The civic administration also plans to reduce withdrawals from Morbe dam by 80 million litres per day (MLD), effectively tightening consumption even as elected representatives insist that household drinking-water supplies remain unaffected.
“The prescribed norm is 150 litres per person per day.
At a special general body meeting, municipal commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde said the civic body would regulate supply according to the prescribed norm and focus on curbing unnecessary consumption. The administration will regulate supply accordingly and reduce unnecessary consumption, while ensuring that drinking water is not denied to citizens,” Shinde said.
Mayor Sujata Patil passed a resolution asking the administration to manage available water efficiently and maintain supplies under the criteria set by the general body, without imposing cuts. He also called for pressure regulation and flow meters, and suggested using treated wastewater or borewell water for gardens and other non-drinking purposes. Water meters are to be installed on unmetered connections within two months.
The plan is to reduce daily withdrawals from Morbe dam from 480 MLD to 400 MLD. The state government’s October 5 directive called for at least a 10% cut from October 16 and protection of drinking-water reserves through August 31, 2027. Authorities have also been asked to maintain a 10% emergency buffer in dams. Gardens alone consume an estimated 25-30 MLD, according to the administration’s figures.
House leader Sagar Naik said the focus should be on curbing waste rather than reducing household drinking-water supplies. Gardens, car washing, service centres and construction sites were among the areas where potable-water use could be reduced, he said. Vehicle-washing centres using potable water will also face action, the administration said.
